Bonsai lovers find sanctuary at city cafe
There’s a new cafe in Christchurch where things that should be big, are small.
Kusamono Cafe by Shiro Bonsai owner Aaron Curtis has mastered making a good coffee, but he’s also a dab hand in the art of bonsai, and the cafe has seen him combine the two.
Opened in New Brighton in March, Kusamono (a Japanese form of bonsai done with flowers and grasses instead of trees) offers cabinet food, a small menu, and equipment to create bonsai.
It was one of the only places in Christchurch, if not the South Island, for bonsai hobbyists and enthusiasts to get their hands on the specialised tools for the Japanese horticultural art, including pruning scissors, handmade pottery, mixes of bonsai soil and a few trees, Curtis said.
“When I first started, it was hard to find stock in New Zealand because it was so niche. I’m trying to get the knowledge out there ... I’m trying to make it easier for everyone.” Bonsai workshops are also held at the cafe premises.
Just over five years ago, Curtis was given his first bonsai by his partner and his passion took root from there. “I like the arty side of it. I’ve always been creative.”
There was a lot to learn with a bonsai hobby, including patience, he said.
“Things take a while. You almost invest in the tree to be ready in five years’ time.”
And with trees in various states of progress, he’d now accumulated about 1000 bonsai at home, and the same number again at his West Melton nursery, he said.
Bonsai’s popularlty picked up during the Covid lockdowns as people stuck at home tried it for the first time, or revisited an earlier passion. Sales “went like crazy”, Curtis said.
His cafe serves cooked food Wednesday to Sunday (it’s closed Monday and Tuesday). The menu includes a lot of fresh food, such as fish and Bellbird Bakery bread.
A shelf of books about bonsai allows customers to read up on the craft, even if they do not participate in it themselves.
“We had a lady waiting for a takeaway coffee ... then she started reading a book, and she was here for about an hour reading. She came up and started asking questions ... real technical stuff,” Curtis said.
“She’ll be addicted now, like the rest of us.”